Fare-register.



No. 643,879. Patented Feb. 20, I900. J. G. MILLER.

FARE REGISTER.

(Application filed Apr. 1899-) (No Model.)

THE Noam: PETERS cov Pnorouwa, WASHINGTON. a. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN G. MILLER, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

FARE-REGISTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 643,879, dated February 20, 1900.

Application filed April 4,1899. Serial No. 711,662. (No model.)

T0 0/, whmn it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN G. MILLER, a citizen of the United States, residingin the city and county of San Francisco, State of California, have invented an Improvement in Fare-Registers; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to improvements in registering devices such as are employed to indicate the amount of fares collected and for like purposes where aregistration is required.

It consistsin the parts and in the constructions and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

Figure l is a front view of a register, the face being broken away to show my adder in position. Fig. 2 is a lateral section of the same on line q] y, Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a side view of the same.

Registering devices are employed upon streetcars to indicate the number of fares, tickets, transfers, or other representatives of money received or for accounting and other like purposes where it is desired to keep a registration of all transactions. In the use of such devices upon street-cars it is difficult to keep the accounts of the various conductors in proper shape, because the conductors are frequently transferred to different cars, while the register remains upon the car. It is therefore necessary to take the amount shown by the register whenever a conductor leaves the car and a new one comes on, and at the end of the day it is also necessary when the ear goes to the stable to have an employee take the final registering of each car as it comes in, all of which are turned in to the office. Any errors which may be made in these various statements cause a great deal of difliculty in making up the conductors accounts.

The object of my invention is to simplify this matter by providing each conductor with a total-register which is adapted to be connected with any of the registering apparatus of any of the cars of the line upon which he is employed, so that he can insert the device and connect it with the permanent mechanism upon the car when he starts and when he leaves that car he can disconnect it and take it with him to the next car, each conductor thus carrying his own record with him throughout the day and turning it into the office when his work ceases.

The apparatus may be applied to any of the forms of the registering devices which are in existence and well known,with slight modifications, which will fit it to the particular apparatus.

7 In the present case I have shown my invention as applied to a register in which the shaft A is turned by the usual actuating-lever upon the back of the disk or casing B, which carries the actuating mechanism through ratchets C and pawls reciprocated by the movable arm. This being no partof my presentinvention,Idonothereillustrateit. Upon the end of the shaft is carried a ratchet D, which may be engaged with or disengaged from the shaft. This ratchet has pins E projecting from its face, and the total-adder, which is the subject of my present invention, is connected with and operated by it. This total'adder consists of the usual numbered disks F, having the nine digits and the cipher marked at equal intervals upon the peripheries, means for connecting the units-disk with the tens when a single revolution has been made, the tens with the hundreds, the hundreds with the thousands, and so on, in the usual manner of such devices. These disks are contained within a cylindrical case G, having a slot extending from end to end at a suitable point, so that the figures presented through the slot maybe readily inspected at any time.

The shaft upon which the disks are mounted extends longitudinally through the casing and at one end carries a disk I, which is perforated with holes and adapted to engage with the pins E, projecting from the ratchetwheel of the operating mechanism previously described, or the engagement of the parts may be effected by any other equivalent mechanism, so that when the device is properly placed it will be engaged and actuated by this mechanism and when removed its operations will be stopped until again replaced in this or another registering mechanism. Various devices may be employed for connecting it wit-h the mechanism, depending upon the character of the particular apparatus to which it is applied. In the present case I have shown guides J, fixed to the apparatus, and a projecting dovetail-shaped tongue K, which is slidable in these guides, so that the device may be slipped into place and engaged with the operating mechanism, as previously described. The spring-stop L engages the device when in position and prevents its being withdrawn or accidentally disengaged from the mechanism.

All the actuating devices of the disks of the total-adder are contained within the casing and are out of reach, so that theycannot be in any way tampered with. The only movement that could be effected would be one to increase the amounts shown by the adder.

In order to prevent the operation of the remaining portion of the apparatus when the total-adder has been removed, I have shown a lever or stop 0, which is actuated by a spring 0, and when free to move this stop engages the operative mechanism and prevents its being moved by the usual or any operation which ordinarily advances the main register. This lever is so constructed that when the total-adder is introduced and fixed in place the stop is moved and disengaged, so that it may be operated. In the present case I have shown the lever as curved in such a man-nor that its convex curvature stands in the path of the casing of the total-adder, so that when the latter is inserted into its guides it forces the lever back and disen gages the stop, and when it is removed the spring forces the stop forward and causes it to again engage.

From this description it will be seen that when the cylinder G has been removed the stop 0 will be forced under the mechanism 0 and prevent its turning, thus forming a lock, so that it cannot be advanced when the cylinder has been removed, the stop being pivoted at the outer end and the spring acting to normally force the inner end up into engagement with the rotary parts at C, so as to engage a notch orstop and prevent their ac ting. When the cylinder is in place, it presses against the convex or upwardly-curved portion of the lever, and thus forces the stop down with the end out of engagement. It would be against the interest of the conductor to move the register forward, since any forward movement would charge up fares against him which had not been collected. The backward movement of the register is prevented by a pawland-ratchet mechanism Z, Fig. 4., such as is common to any rotary device where it is desired to prevent a backward movement.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a registering apparatus, the combination of a main operative mechanism, having a rotatable member with a clutch-surface, a casing and means whereby it is removably secured, a total-adder carried by the casing and having a member with a clutch to engage the said rotatable member, and means for automatically locking and releasing the rotatable member by the removal and insertion of the casing.

2. In a registering apparatus, the combination of a main operative mechanism and a total-adder removably connected therewith, and means for automatically engaging and locking the main operative mechanism when the total-adder is removed and automatically releasing said mechanism when the totaladder is restored.

3. In a fare-register and in combination with a main operative mechanism having a rotatable member with an engaging face, a removable total-adder, an independent slidable case within which it is inclosed, means for locking the casing within the main structure and a member of the total-adder having aface to engage and disengage the face of the rotatable member.

4;. In a fare-register and in combination with a main operative mechanism having a rotatable member with a clutch portion, a removable total-adder movable endwise toward and from said member and having a clutch portion to engage the clutch portion thereof, and means in the path of the totaladder for automatically locking the rotatable member when the total-adder is removed and automatically releasingsaid member when the total-adder is replaced.

5. In a registering apparatus, the main operative mechanism, an independent and removable total-adder, and detachable connections between the two, a casing, inclosing the total-adder and having a projecting tongue, guides on the main structure engaged by said tongue, and a spring-latch in the main structure for detach ably lockin g the casing therein and holding the detachable connections'in operative contact whereby the total-adder is connected with the main operative mechanism.

6. In a registering apparatus, a main operative mechanism, an independent detachable total-adder, a casing within which the totaladding mechanism is contained, means for connecting the total-adder with the main operative mechanism and disconnecting it therefrom, and a spring-actuated stop in the path of movement of the casing and which is antomatically actuated by the removal of the total-adder to prevent the movement of the main operative mechanism and is released when the total-adder is inserted into position for work.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

JOHN G. MILLER.

WVitnesses:

S. H. NOURSE, JESSIE O. BRODIE. 

